A growing campaign in north Devon is taking on plans for a giant AI data centre that would consume enough electricity to power around a million homes.
By Camilla Royle
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Wednesday 01 July 2026
The Labour government says AI is the future. But in north Devon, residents are fighting plans for a giant data centre they say will devastate the countryside, consume vast amounts of energy and water (Photo: Creative Commons / Wim Klerkx)
In Great Torrington, north Devon, locals are trying to stop a proposal for one of Europe’s biggest data centres.
A public meeting about the plans last Thursday drew so many people that there was standing room only in the town hall. On Monday evening, they limited the capacity of the hall to 100 people. But another 200 gathered outside.
XLinks wants to build the massive data centre for artificial intelligence (AI), as well as a battery energy storage site, on 850 acres of farmland.
Data centres are associated with massive increases in energy usage as well as water usage for cooling. They can heat up the surrounding areas. And in Ireland, where there has been a rapid expansion in data centre building, they have driven up energy bills and left the energy grid struggling to cope.
The proposed data centre would use up 1.5GW of energy, enough to power at least a million homes.
Resident Dave Clinch told Socialist Worker, “There was so much anger. It would mean a massive area being used. It would rip up the countryside.
“They are saying Devon’s weather is ideal for a data centre. But we are subjected to more and more heatwaves so I don’t believe that.
“It’s not a Nimby issue,” he said, “Nobody would want this anywhere because of its size and its implications.”
Dave explained that the predicted noise from the batteries would be 80 decibels. And the Devon Fire Service has raised concerns about the fire risk.
Farmer Barbara Fryer told Farmers’ Weekly, “The centre would need to use up to a million litres of water a day, which is a phenomenal amount. But if this water is extracted from boreholes, it would cause huge damage to other local farmland by lowering the water table.”
Locals are also angry about the potential impact on wildlife. Great Torrington is in the centre of the globally recognised Unesco North Devon biosphere.
The initial meeting last week was called by local Tory MP Geoffrey Cox—better known to readers of Socialist Worker as one of the richest members of the house of commons due to his sky high earnings as a barrister.
Dave said that Cox called the meeting “to let people know” about the plans, leaving residents concerned that they will have little say.
The Labour government has classed data centres for AI as critical national infrastructure as part of its push for growth. It means that companies can apply for them to be classed as nationally significant infrastructure projects where they are approved by the secretary of state, rather than local councils.
But there is overwhelming opposition to the plans locally. Dave explained that a campaign against it has already been set up. Archaeologists and scientists have offered their expertise and more actions are being called.
